


Spell

by FriendlyNonMurderingSort



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: M/M, Torture, beach date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 09:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12208722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendlyNonMurderingSort/pseuds/FriendlyNonMurderingSort
Summary: The sand below Kaz shrank away all at once. He tipped over, and his face smashed into the rough, hard-packed dirt. Kaz’s fingers clawed at the dirt, trying to find purchase as he felt the waves lapping at his legs. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to be dragged out to sea.When Kaz came to, the sun lit Snake from behind. Snake sat over Kaz, smoothing back his hair and whispering soft words. Kaz’s eyes focused and unfocused, Snake’s image blurring and shimmering like a mirage in the desert.Kaz blinked, and suddenly Snake’s image was crystal-clear. Kaz furrowed his eyebrows. It must have been a mistake.Kaz’s hand traveled to his head, pushing aside Snake’s fingers. His forehead was throbbing, and his entire face felt swollen, but he couldn’t feel a bump or a scrape. Kaz glanced up at Snake, only now realizing that everything was tinted brown from his shades. Kaz frowned, hadn’t he been wearing his black ones when he met Snake on the beach?





	Spell

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I managed to write something that requires both "beach date" and "torture" in the tags but here we are anyways.

The gentle crash of the waves against the breakwater lulled Kaz in and out of sleep. The setting sun was warm on his face, and the wind cooled the sweat from his body. He smiled lazily, enjoying listening to the birds in the jungle far behind them and the heartbeat of the man next to him.

Kaz’s body felt light as he dozed. There wasn’t a care in the world to be had. The stress of the paperwork that was waiting for him seemed far away, and the threat of war even further away than that. Snake stretched out next to him, and Kaz knew that he wasn’t going far away. When everything was nice like this, there was no reason for Snake to leave.

Kaz breathed in and out slowly through his nose. The scent of saltwater was strong when they were this close to the ocean. If they moved just a few feet down the beach, the water would brush their feet.

Languidly, Kaz stretched out his spine and arms, being careful not to accidentally punch Snake in the jaw. He pushed himself to sit up, tilting his head left and right until he got a satisfying pop. Kaz brought his knee up and rested his elbow on it, and then his chin in his palm. He wiggled his toes in the boiling sand, but he didn’t mind the heat. It only served to relax his muscles more until he felt like a pile of jelly. 

The waves crashed over and over against each other, each a little higher than the last. Kaz timed his breath with the rolling, crystal clear water. Kaz never wanted to leave this place. He stood up after watching the sunset, though it never seemed to dip lower than it already was, and stretched his arms above his head. He winced when a slightly-wrong stretch left a knot of sharp pain in his shoulder. Kaz rotated his shoulder, attempting to dull some of the pain. When it wouldn’t go away, he had a flare of panic that he’d done something to it.

Before Kaz’s thoughts could get out of control, Snake put a hand on his ankle.

Kaz dropped his hands to his hips and grinned down at Snake.

“Enjoying the view?” Kaz teased, even going so far as to wiggle his hips a bit.

Snake grinned back at him. “Yeah, the water is pretty nice.”

Kaz barked out a laugh.

“Get back down here,” Snake said, patting Kaz’s towel that was stretched out next to his.

Kaz sat back down on his towel, stretching his legs out in front of him. He leaned back on his hands, back to watching the water and the sunset. It was at the perfect level, halfway behind the water and making everything glow fiery orange and red. 

“Getting lonely without me, Boss?” 

“Wouldn’t be the same without you, Kaz,” Snake agreed.

A smile broke out on Snake’s lips, and it was infectious. Kaz couldn’t help but smile back at him as he laid down on his back next to Snake. Inch by inch, as each wave slammed into the next one, Kaz slid closer to Snake until they were all but sharing his sandy towel. Kaz pressed his body against Snake’s, somewhat surprised when Snake’s response was to wrap an arm around Kaz’s shoulders. 

Kaz shifted some more and laid his head on Snake’s chest. He could hear that heartbeat so much clearer with his ear pressed to Snake’s chest. Each breath in soothed Kaz and each breath out turned him into putty against Snake’s side. Snake’s breathing matched the rotation of waves, and Kaz slowed his breathing to match Snake’s.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but Kaz sat up after a while to a persistent itch in his leg. He scratched just below his knee as he turned to watch the sun again. It felt as though hours had passed with Snake at his side, but the sun was where it had been. Kaz shrugged it off; time always passed differently when he was with Snake. 

Kaz began to scratch at his leg a little harder. The itch was _killing_ him. It must have gone all the way down to his bone because Kaz couldn’t get at it no matter what he did. He scratched and scratched with blunt nails until he had a ring of red around his leg. It was frustrating, not being able to make the annoying feeling go away. Kaz was certain that at any moment, he was going to break skin.

Before he could, Snake’s hand snatched Kaz’s wrist.

Kaz glanced at Snake, and suddenly the pestering itch was gone. 

Snake held Kaz’s wrist in his hands, pressing his lips in a delicate kiss to the inside of his wrist, right at the blue veins. Kaz’s cheeks heated up as Snake continued to kiss along the meat of Kaz’s palm and then across his fingers. Snake laved at one of Kaz’s fingers with his tongue, and Kaz was almost too enraptured to realize how embarrassing this might seem to someone passing by. Luckily, they had the beach to themselves.

Kaz gulped hard as he watched Snake. He kissed every part of Kaz’s hand, gently lapped all of the tiny scars on his fingers and the backs of his hand with the tip of his tongue, all the while remaining leisurely stretched out on his towel like a basking snake. Kaz almost smiled at his genius comparison, but he found that he couldn’t stop gawking at Snake like an idiot.

A blue eye darted up to meet Kaz’s, still hidden behind his black aviators, and Kaz couldn’t handle it anymore. He yanked his hand away, pulling the motion off too smooth back some hairs that had gone astray with the wind. Snake wasn’t fooled; Kaz could see it in the way his eye was still so intense, holding Kaz’s gaze as if their lives depended on it.

“We should go swimming, Boss!” Kaz announced, jumping up and brushing off the sand that stuck to his side. 

Snake sat up on his elbows and finally tore his gaze away from Kaz’s. He peered out over the water, analyzing the waves and the currents like the soldier he was.

“Swimming?” he repeated. He reached up with one hand to scratch at the scruff on his jaw. He sat up fully, his spine curved from years of sitting crouched for hours on end. 

“Yeah, wouldn’t that be fun? We could cool off before we head back to base,” Kaz said. He pulled his aviators off, closing his eyes against the sun for a moment before turning to Snake and slowly opening them.

Kaz would kill to stay in that moment forever, with Snake staring up at him. His lips were slightly parted as he stared at Kaz, the barest hint of a smile in the upward tug of the corner of his mouth. If Kaz wasn’t wrong, but he probably was, he would have called that look admiration. He might have even gone so far as to call it adoration, the way Snake looked at him and refused to look away whenever he took off his shades. Kaz loved that Snake saw his almond-shaped eyes as something to be revered, rather than something to cringe away from.

Snake stood and immediately stepped into Kaz’s space. Kaz nearly took a step backward, but Snake’s hands were tight on his shoulders. Snake brought him in for a bruising kiss. He still wasn’t great at it, but it was better than the first time they kissed. Snake’s lips moved against his, and Kaz obligingly tilted his head to one side to better press against each other. Their noses and teeth bumped, and their tongues were lazy between the two of them, but it didn’t matter. 

Kaz felt the first stirrings of something fiery hot in his gut, and he was sure that he could feel Snake pressing against the thin material of his trunks, but Kaz had other things in mind. He pushed himself away from Snake, finding it more of a struggle than he would have thought to wriggle his way out of Snake’s grip.

His hand darted down, and he snatched Snake’s in his fingers.

“Swimming, remember?” Kaz asked.

It took Snake a minute to break out of his reverie, but he eventually nodded. Kaz—gently, mind you—tossed his aviators onto his towel, glancing twice to make sure that they were okay before dragging Snake to the water’s edge.

The cold freshwater that seeped through the ground met them first, but Kaz and Snake pushed through it and into the warmer saltwater. Snake broke away from Kaz’s hand, driving through the small waves and into deeper water. Kaz followed although he wasn’t as strong of a swimmer as Snake. Snake looked just as at ease in the water as he was out of it. Kaz found himself sometimes struggling to get his head above the water, and more often than not he spat out a mouthful of sour, salty seawater.

Kaz found a calmer patch of water toward a reef and treaded water there for a while. He could hear Snake splashing in the distance, stretching his muscles until they were surely burning. Kaz was happy enough near the reef, being rocked back and forth by the water as he watched the fish below his toes. They were happy enough to do the same as him, floating in the current and allowing themselves to drift. A few darted in and out of the rocks, but they didn’t seem agitated by Kaz’s presence.

What Kaz wouldn’t give to see a sea turtle or some other large creature pass by.

He was granted his wish in a different way, as Snake swam over to Kaz, switching to a more casual breaststroke and then stopping entirely to float next to Kaz. 

Snake stared down at the fish, a strange look entering his eye

Kaz laughed, spitting up some of the water that splashed into his mouth when he did.

“Boss!” he chided. “Don’t even think about it.”

Snake furrowed his eyebrows at Kaz. “You have no idea what I was thinking about.”

“Yes I do, Boss,” Kaz argued. “I know _exactly_ what you were thinking, looking at those fish like you could go down there and grab one with just your bare hands.”

Snake raised an eyebrow. “I _could_ catch one with my bare hands.”

Kaz rolled his eyes but laughed again. “Boss, I know that you _could_ , but that doesn’t mean that you _should_.”

“Shouldn’t you be cheering me on?” Snake asked, adjusting his body to float a little closer to Kaz in the water. “You _love_ sushi.”

“Yeah, but there’s no rice,” Kaz quipped. 

“Just replace the rice with sand,” Snake said.

Kaz burst out laughing and splashed water at Snake’s face. Snake turned at the last second, but the splash lighted a playful spark in his eye. Kaz had half a second to put some distance between them before Snake splashed him with so much water it could have been a wave of its own.

“I’m done!” Kaz exclaimed, grinning at Snake the whole time. “If you’re going to act like a five-year-old, I’m heading back.” Of course, he didn’t _really_ mind, and he knew that Snake knew it, too. That glint in his eye was still there, and he looked ready to chase Kaz down.

There was a beat between them before Kaz flipped over and kicked himself away from Snake and the reef. Snake gave him a few seconds before following Kaz. Kaz wasn’t sure if Snake was chasing him, or if it was turning into a race, but it was fun either way he looked at it. 

Kaz stumbled when he reached shallow water sooner than he thought he would and collapsed forward. He fell over himself, tripping on his legs as he was unable to slow himself down.

The sand below Kaz shrank away all at once. He tipped over, and his face smashed into the rough, hard-packed dirt. Kaz’s fingers clawed at the dirt, trying to find purchase as he felt the waves lapping at his legs. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to be dragged out to sea.

When Kaz came to, the sun lit Snake from behind. Snake sat over Kaz, smoothing back his hair and whispering soft words. Kaz’s eyes focused and unfocused, Snake’s image blurring and shimmering like a mirage in the desert. 

Kaz blinked, and suddenly Snake’s image was crystal-clear. Kaz furrowed his eyebrows. It must have been a mistake. 

Kaz’s hand traveled to his head, pushing aside Snake’s fingers. His forehead was throbbing, and his entire face felt swollen, but he couldn’t feel a bump or a scrape. Kaz glanced up at Snake, only now realizing that everything was tinted brown from his shades. Kaz frowned, hadn’t he been wearing his black ones when he met Snake on the beach? 

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Snake greeted.

Kaz’s mouth was full of cotton when he tried to speak. He smacked his lips a few time, desperately trying to pull some water back into his mouth.

“Boss? Did I get knocked out?” Kaz asked. His voice was rough.

“We wrestled a little bit, but I didn’t knock you out,” Snake answered. “You fell asleep after. It’s been about an hour.”

It felt like a decade ago, but Kaz could remember tussling with Snake in the sand. His muscles were sore; it must have happened earlier that afternoon. Kaz’s back was especially sore. He could feel each bruise that was going to pop up from where Snake had been a bit too rough. Kaz stretched his shoulders out as he sat up.

“Damn, Boss, what did you do?” Kaz groaned. “Feels like you beat the crap out of me.”

Kaz glanced up at the sky, expecting the stars to be out. One-half of the sky was tinged violet, but the other was an oozing orange that bled out in soft tendrils.

Kaz’s neck nearly snapped as he dipped his head to look at the horizon. The sun was mostly behind Snake, but he could see that the sun was halfway below the water. 

Kaz looked around, befuddled by it all. He was certain they had gone swimming for a long time, and then Snake said he fell asleep. Kaz frowned. Did they wrestle before or after they went swimming? 

“Boss, I…” Kaz trailed off, unsure how to say what he was thinking.

“If you keep frowning, your face will get stuck like that,” Snake warned. He leaned closer to Kaz and kissed his cheek. 

Warmth enveloped Kaz at Snake’s touch. The harsh edges around him became softer, and the hard dirt under his towel once again became fine, silky grains of sand. Kaz turned his head to properly kiss Snake, bringing a hand up to rest on his cheek. He passed his thumb over Snake’s cheekbone, just below the edge of his eyepatch. Snake didn’t flinch away from the gesture. Kaz’s heart swelled with the trust Snake put in him.

“Don’t worry about it, Kaz,” Snake whispered against Kaz’s lips. He smelled heavenly, like cigar smoke and sweat and the standard-grade issued deodorant. “Let’s just stay here for a while longer.”

Kaz pressed his forehead to Snake’s and wrapped his arms around his Boss’s shoulders. Snake pulled them down to the sand once more. Kaz’s aching muscles soaked in the heat greedily. He became pliant in Snake’s hands, allowing himself to be pulled closer to his damp chest.

Kaz wanted to stay like that forever.

However, it didn’t take long for him to get antsy again. Kaz wormed his way out of Snake’s grip and turned over onto his belly. He sat up, trailing his fingers through Snake’s hair. Kaz must have been out for a long time if Snake’s hair was already dry after swimming. 

Snake hummed at Kaz’s touches, feather-light at first. Kaz’s hand trailed down Snake’s hair, to his neck, to his shoulder. He pressed his fingers into the muscles he found. A part of his brain screamed at him that _it wasn't real, that he needed to pay attention_. 

Snake’s body rippled like a stone thrown into a still lake.

Kaz sat up in an instant. He stared at Snake with wide eyes, more confused than ever. Ever so slowly, Snake’s body stopped shifting, and he cracked his eye at Kaz. 

“What’s wrong, Kaz?”

Kaz shook his head. “I must have hit my head somehow,” Kaz muttered. His hand went back to his forehead and temples, gently probing.

“Here, try some water,” Snake suggested.

Kaz didn’t ask where the flask came from. Snake was a curious man, and having water on him at all times was no stranger than anything else. Kaz took the flask from Snake and unscrewed the cap, gulping down the water desperately. It didn’t take long for Kaz’s panic to set in. No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t get rid of the dryness in his mouth. His stomach was upset with how much he was drinking, but Kaz didn’t stop, and it didn’t seem like the water was ever going to end.

Snake sat up and took the water from Kaz. “You’re going to do more harm than good if you keep drinking like that,” he scolded. “You should know that, Kaz.”

“Boss—Snake,” Kaz corrected, “I think something’s wrong.” Kaz shook his head. “I don’t know what.”

Kaz’s upper lip was still wet. Kaz lapped at it but recoiled when he tasted the tang of old pennies. Kaz spat out the blood. A fist—Snake’s?—reared back and struck Kaz square in the jaw. Kaz flew to the side, barely able to catch himself before he hit the ground. His world spun from the impact, and his elbow was flaring with hot pain. 

Kaz’s eyes scoured the room. Did Snake hit him? Had they been ambushed?

An unfamiliar face met Kaz’s as the front of his shirt was pulled up, and his body followed. Kaz didn’t remember wearing a shirt to the beach. The face sneered and spat at Kaz, but at least it wasn’t Snake. Kaz didn’t know what he would do if it were Snake that hit him. 

The face temporarily disappeared, but the invisible force on Kaz’s shirt did not. It yanked and dragged him around. Kaz’s hip scraped uncomfortably along the rough dirt and bricks. The sensitive skin at the end of his left leg screamed in protest from being jostled so much. 

Kaz’s head was forced back at a painfully awkward angle. Something cold licked at the crown of Kaz’s head.

Snake pulled his hands away, allowing Kaz to come up for air. Kaz splashed more water at Snake, laughing and dripping wet. Miraculously, his aviators managed to stay on his face the whole time Snake pinned him underwater in their tussling. Kaz could hear the ticking of a watch. The sound was strangely far away, but right in his ears all at once. Kaz couldn’t think of how long Snake playfully held his head down, but it couldn’t have been for very long. 

“Dirty cheater!” Kaz accused, laughing the whole time.

Snake was laughing, too. Kaz loved that noise. Hearing Snake’s belly laughs made him forget the tension in his muscles and the feeling of water going up his nose. Kaz coughed a few times, spitting up some more water before dousing Snake with another splash.

To Kaz’s right, the sun was halfway underwater.

**Author's Note:**

> shruggggggg I had a whim and I wrote it


End file.
